Burglar-alarm.



H. T. GAY.

. BURGLAR ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-29.1914- RENEWED MAY 8.1915.

1,155,144.. Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

wmmo Y M f H. ,T. GAY. BURGLAR ALARM. APPLI CATION FILED JAN- 29,1914 RENEWED MAX 8,1915.

1,155,144. Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 v wm mo I r izfiam.

HERMAN T. GAY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS TO PROTECTION COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

BURGLAR-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept.- 28, 1915.

Application filed January 29, 1914, Serial lilo. 815,117.. Renewed May 8, 1915. Serial No. 26,899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN T. GAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Burglar-Alarms, of which the.

following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus adapted for insertion in a box containing valuable articles, such for instance as jewelry, which apparatus, upon the box being lifted from its support, will sound an alarm as will hereinafter fullyiappear.

Inthe further description of the said invention, which follows, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which z- Figure 1 is a plan of a box containing the alarm apparatus, the lid of' the box beingshown as open, and Fig. 2 a similar view except that a covering plate for the alarm apparatus is removed to show the mechanism beneath. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top View partly in section, of certain parts of the apparatus; and Fig. 4 an enlarged longitudinal section of a part of Fig. 2. F1g. 5

is a section of Fig. 4 taken on the broken line ww, and Fig. 6 a perspective View of a part of the apparatus.

place by an ordinary downwardly curved spring 9 which is attached to the underside This holder is shown only of the cover 4. in dotted lines, and in Fig. 1.

The terminals a and b of the battery 7 are electrically connected to the insulated plates 0 and (Z as shown in Fig. 2.

- 10 is a. base plate for the electrical apparatus, fastened in any suitable manner to the bottom of the inner box 3, having its parts 1: and 7 stamped upward to serve as supports and guides for the horizontally sliding bar 12. At one end of the base plate 10 are the fixed vertical posts 13 connected at their upper ends by the bar 14 and the nuts y.

15 is a non-rotatable vertically moving staff (shown in perspective in Fig. 6). of rectangular shape in cross-section, with its upper end extending loosely through the bar 14. Its lower end is made cylindrical and adapted to pass through a hole which extends through the base plate 10, and the bottom of the boxes 1 and 3, as shown in the coiled spring 17 is to force down thestaff and cause its cylindrical end to normally project below the bottom of the outer box 1, and hold it yieldingly in. that position under circumstances hereinafter described.

By reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 6 of the drawings, it will be seen that the staff 15 is.

in its elevated position; and at a point in horizontal alineinent with the sliding bar 12 is cut away at one of its corners to produce the tooth j which is adapted to engage the hook 7c formed on the end of the-said bar; and that above the tooth j the staff is cut back squarely to a depth corresponding with that of the tooth, so that when the staff is forced downward by means of the spring 1.7, the tooth will be brought below the hook is and the sliding bar 12 thereby released.

An extended coil spring 19 connected at one end to a pin m on the sliding bar 12, and at its other end to a fixed post 91., serves to hold the said bar laterally in. proper posi-. tion for the engagement of its hook L with the tooth should the staff 15 be raised and the bar 12 moved to the left as shown by the arrow in Fig. 3. The said spring also serves to draw the metallic crosshead 20 which is centrally pivoted to the bar 12, to electrical contact with the insulated metallic posts 21 and22 upon the disengagement of the hook from the tooth.

23 is an ordinary electric bell mechanism the construction of which is well known and forms no part of the present invention. The striking arm 24 of the said mechanism when vibrating, causes the hammer 25' to beat against theside of the box 1, or against any other sonorous device adapted for the purpose, and give an alarm. I

26, 27 and are wires .which place the apparatus in an open electric circuit when the I tact with the posts 21 and 22, and the disengagement of the hook it of the bar 12 fromthe tooth j cannot close the circuit.

The pivoting of the crosshead to the sliding bar 12 is an important part of the pres ent invention for the reason that an effective electric contact of the same with the posts 21 and 22 is insured without the nice adj ustment of the parts that would be required if the crosshead. were rigid with respect to the said bar.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that should the box with its contained apparatus be placed on a table or other support, the staff 15 will be forced upward and its lower projecting end brought level with the bottom of the box, and that by moving the finger stem 31 to Silent the hook of the sliding bar 12 will engage the tooth j of stafi and the electric circuit thereby broken and the apparatus rendered in operative.

To adjust the apparatus so that an alarm will be sounded should the box he lifted from its support, the switch 30 is moved to Alarm and the box then closed and locked. It will be understood that this movement of the switch, does not release the sliding bar 12, as the tooth j is still in engagement with the hook is, and no alarm can possibly be sounded while the box is resting upon its support; but upon lifting the box,the spring 17 will cause the downward movement of the staff 15, and its tooth j to pass below the hook is and the sliding bar 12 will be released and its crosshead 20 by contacting with the posts 0 and d, the electric circuit will be closed and an alarm sounded; and the alarm cannot be stopped until the switch is again moved to Silent and this cannot be accomplished until the box is unlocked and opened which gives access to the switching device. i i

1 claim as my invention 1. In a burglar alarm of the character described, a box adapted for closure, an electric sounding mechanism which is situated in the box, a spring backed vertically-moving staff adapted to project loosely through the'bottom of the box, and two contact posts in an electric circuit the closing of which operates the sounding mechanism, combined with a spring-drawn sliding barone end of which carries a circuit closer, and the other was end adapter. to engage and be held by the said staff when the same is forced inward. by the seating of the box, and to be released therefrom upon the projection of the said staff below the box.

2. in a burglar alarm of the character described, a box adapted for closure, an elec tric sounding mechanism which is situated in the box, a spring-backed vertically-moving staff adapter: to project loosely through the bottom of the box, and two contact posts in an electric circuit the closing of which op crates the sounding mechanism, combined with a spring-drawn sliding bar one end of which carries a circuit closer, and the other end adapted engage and be held by the said staff when the same is forced inward by the seating of the box, and to be released therefrom upon the projection of the said staff below the box, and means whereby the said sliding bar can be heldin an inoperative condition.

3. In a burglar alarm of the character described, a box adapted for closure, an electric sounding mechanism which is situated in the box/and embraces two contact posts, a pivoted sliding hooked bar carrying a circuit-closing pivoted crosshead, a spring supported and vertically moving staii' adapted to project below the bottom of the box, the same having a tooth adaiated to engage the hooked bar when the staff is forced inward by the seating of the box, and. the electric circuit opened, and to be disengaged from the said hooked bar and the circuit closed, upon tl c lifting f the box from its seat.

a. In a burglar alarm of the character described, abox adapted for closure, an electric sounding mechanism which is contained in the box and embraces two contact posts, a pivoted spring-actuated sliding hookedv bar carrying a circuit-closing pivoted crosshead, a spi'in'gsupported and vertically moving staff adapted to project below the bottom of the box, the same having a tooth to engage the hooked bar when the stafi is forced inward by the seating of the box and the electric circuit opened, and to be disen- "gaged from the said hooked. bar and the circuit is closed by the lifting of the box from its seat.

5. In, a burglar alarm of the character described, a box adapted for closure, an elec tric sounding mechanism which is situated in the box and embraces two contact posts, a pivoted sliding hooked bar carrying a circult-closing pivoted crosshead, a spring-supported vertically moving stall adapted to project below the bottom of the box, the same having a tooth to engage the hooked bar when the staff is forced inward bythe seating of the box and the electric cifcuit thereby opened, and to be disengaged from the said hooked bar and the circuit closed upon the lifting of the box from its seat,

combined with a switch situated within the box whereby the operation of the apparatus can be suspended.

6. In a burglaralarm of the character described, a boX adapted for closure, an electric sounding mechanism which is contained in the box and embraces two contact posts, a pivoted spring-actuated sliding hookedbar carrying a circuit-closing pivoted crosshead, a springsupported and vertically moving stafi' adapted to project below the bottom of the box, the same having a tooth to engage the hooked bar when the stafi is forced inward by the seating of the box and the electric circuit thereby opened, and to be disengaged from the said hooked bar and the circuit closed by the lifting of the box from its seat, combined with a switch situ ated within the box whereby the circuit cl0sing devices can be held apart or released.

WM. T. HOWARD, SARAH SCHOTTA. 

